Gerry Broome / The Associated PressThe inspired play of senior Kenny center Kenny Frease, left, was a big part of the Xavier turnaround this season.

It would not, could not, be considered a compliment this season, even though the Musketeers (23-12) are the lowest-seeded team (10) remaining in the South Region and entered Thursday as the third-lowest remaining team in the NCAA Tournament.

Keep that label shelved, because on Dec. 10, city rivals Xavier and Cincinnati capped a contentious 76-53 Xavier victory with a brawl that blacked the eye of both programs, and literally left Xavier center Kenny Frease bloodied. No words hinting at clenched fists can be attached to this team.

Maybe, though, the Musketeers can be called resilient.

Because rather than have that brawl define their season and torpedo it, Xavier tonight will play Baylor (29-7) at 6:15 p.m. in the Georgia Dome, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s South Region championship game. The Musketeers dug out of that hole with their reputation stained, but perhaps as a stronger team.

“It wasn’t easy,” Coach Chris Mack said. “We’ve dealt with it wherever we’ve gone. I think our guys, we have competitive kids. We have kids that continue to believe in one another, and despite what the outside world presented to us, we continue to try to get better.

“We had some ups and downs. We lost to some teams, by the way, that were really good, and we just couldn’t get over the hump. Over the last three or four weeks, a big part of the reason why I think we have gotten over the hump is that belief, but also because of the play of Kenny Frease. He has really become a low-post presence for us on both ends of the floor. He stayed out of foul trouble, and he’s a big reason why we’re here.”

Which is a long way from “there.”

The post-brawl Musketeers lost three consecutive games and five of six. Star guard Tu Holloway was one of three starters (along with guard Mark Lyons and forward Dezmine Wells) to serve suspensions ranging from one to three games.

No, the Musketeers didn’t throw the first punch at Cincinnati. But they inflamed the encounter with heated trash talk at the Bearcats (who played Ohio State in a Sweet 16 matchup Thursday night in the East Regional).

And Xavier learned a lesson, Holloway said.

“Sometimes, we take playing on ESPN or playing on big-time TV networks and having the opportunity to play here at Xavier for granted,” he said. “After that game, it made me realize how many kids I was a role model to at home.

“Now, we turned the corner, and we’re trying to do better for ourselves and our families. We’re just trying to look forward from that point, but we’re going to continue to remember that we’re always role models.”

They weren’t models of consistency after that six-game struggle immediately after the fight. Later in the season, there was an 11-game patch in which Xavier went 5-6.

But they’re 5-1 since, and if that doesn’t sound like much of a roll, it’s plenty for a team that could have rolled over and given up a couple of times this season.

Having Holloway, a senior, around for this season helped. After flirting with the idea of entering the NBA draft, Holloway came back and averages 17.4 points and 4.9 assists.

“I’m not only happy with the decision I made as far as coming back, I’m about to graduate from Xavier,” he said. “Also, we’ve been through a lot this year. Not only basketball, but the things we’ve been through are going to help us all out as people later on in life.”

And the contributions of Frease, a 7-foot senior, have been significant. He scored a career-high 25 points against Lehigh in the third round, and has scored in double figures seven times in the past nine games.

“I think that it’s just being able to recognize how big of a stage it is and is not, and not make it bigger than it is,” Frease said.

“Just being able to play your game. That’s the main thing. You can’t let all the other hype around the game really get in your head at all. Just go out and play like it’s a normal game.”

After all that has happened with the Musketeers this season, that should be pretty easy to do.